Books
11 Books Worth A TON Of Money — That Might Already Be On Your Bookshelves
You've probably read articles about all those insanely expensive and incredibly rare, collectible books — like the highly covetable first edition of J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard, of which only seven gem-covered, leather-bound editions were made. OK, so you probably don't have a super rare Harry Potter book sitting in your parents' attic, but you might be surprised to know some books sitting on your shelves can be resold for anywhere from $300 to $10,000.
Sure, most of the books described below are still signed first-editions, but instead of something totally unaccessible like Shakespeare's Folio think more along the lines of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight or Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. Sounds a lot more likely, right? According to Abe Books, if you were lucky enough to score any of these books between the years of 2000 and 2009, you might just be in for a pretty decent payday. Check out 11 of the most collectible books of the decade below and then troll your own shelves or set your folks back home on a scavenger hunt through those dusty boxes of old books in their garage. You never know — being a lifelong bibliophile might literally pay off.
Any Post-2000 Signed 'Harry Potter' Book by J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was published in the U.S. in 1998, and by 2000 she has become an international literary superstar. As Rowling's fame skyrocketed, her book tours became much shorter, and spots in her signing lines became much harder to come by. So it makes sense that any signed copy of Rowling's books would be incredibly valuable. While a signed first edition is best — according to Abe Books, one of the fifth book in the series, Order of the Phoenix sold for $7,657 in 2007 — autographed copies of various Harry Potter books are being sold on the site right now for anywhere from $850 to $2000.
A First Edition Of 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini
While The Kite Runner is now considered one of the most highly acclaimed and beloved books of the past 20 years, when it was first published in 2003, it only had a small initial print run. Because there are so few first edition copies available, they can be resold for a lot of money. The most expensive first edition was sold on AbeBooks for almost $3,000, and signed first editions are now being sold on the site for up to $1,350.
A Signed First Edition Of 'The DaVinci Code' by Dan Brown
Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code became a worldwide phenomenon after it was released in 2003. According to AbeBooks a signed first edition was sold in May of 2006, the year the movie came out, for over $4,000 — the highest price ever paid for a copy of this bestselling thriller. And although Brown went on tour in 2017 for the first time since The DaVinci Code was released, his choice not to make very many public book-signing appearances ensures that signed copies are extremely rare. These days, signed first editions are on sale for up to $575 on the site.
A Signed First Edition Of One Of The 'Twilight' Books by Stephanie Meyer
Sure, Twilight fever has since died down from the inferno-levels it reached in 2005. But since Stephanie Meyer is known for not signing many books, copies of the series still go for a fair few bucks. A full set of her Twilight series, all signed first editions, has sold for $4,000 on AbeBooks, and signed first editions usually boast four figure prices tags. A signed first edition of Twilight is on the site for $700 right now.
The Canadian Edition Of 'The Life of Pi' by Yann Martel
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed books of the last two decades, Yann Martel's Man Booker Prize winning The Life of Pi is also one of the most highly collectible... if you've got the right edition. Apparently, the Canadian Alfred A Knopf editions are the copies that matter most to collectors. The most expensive copy on AbeBooks went for almost $4,000, and you can find editions on sale now for almost $2,000.
A Signed Copy of 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides
Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex was published in 2002 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. Copies have sold for as much as $350 on AbeBooks and you can find some online now for up to $150.
A Signed First Edition of 'No Country For Old Men' by Cormac McCarthy
Published in 2005, No Country For Old Men later became an Oscar nominated film, which upped its popularity among collectors. Signed first editions of the book have sold for up to $1,000 on AbeBooks. If you've got one of the special numbered deluxe editions (of which only 75 copies were made) you can make up to $4,500. Copies of the book are on sale now for $550 to $4000.
A Signed First Edition of 'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold
One of the most acclaimed books of the decade, Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones was published in 2002 and adapted for film in 2009. According to AbeBooks, If you have a signed first edition, it could fetch up to $575. First editions are on sale now for up to $120.
A Signed Limited Edition Copy of 'Inkheart' by Cornelia Funke
Cornelia Funke's Inkheart first editions are actually super in demand with collectors of fantasy fiction. The most expensive copy ever sold on AbeBooks was one of 250 signed and numbered limited editions, and it went for $1,500. However, other signed first editions are for sale on the site now for a cool $175.
A Signed First Edition of 'Eragon' by Christopher Paolini
If you were a kid who loved fantasy books like Paolini's Eragon, you might just have a pretty hefty paycheck coming your way. The most expensive copy of Eragon sold on AbeBooks for $2,550, and copies on sale now include a signed, self-published first edition for $2000.
A Signed First Edition of 'Wolf Hall' by Hilary Mantel
According to AbeBooks, signed copies of Wolf Hall were already in high-demand before Hilary Mantel won the 2009 Man Booker Prize. Back in 2009, the most expensive sale was for a first edition that went for almost $900. And there's a signed first edition copy on sale right now for a whopping $2000.
